The present invention relates to a new and distinct daylily plant, Hemerocallis ‘Orange Smoothie’ hereinafter also referred to as the new plant or just the cultivar name, ‘Orange Smoothie’. Hemerocallis ‘Orange Smoothie’ was hybridized by the inventor, Chris Meyer, in the spring of 2000 in a greenhouse at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA. The new plant originated from a breeding program conducted by the inventor with the specific intention to improve the garden worthiness, expand color regimens and increase flowering period which were some of the criteria of further trials in the trial beds at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The female or seed parent was the proprietary unreleased hybrid Hemerocallis 95-104-2 (not patented) and the male or pollen parent was the proprietary unreleased hybrid Hemerocallis 96-20-5 (not patented). The new plant was selected as a single seedling from this cross and after confidential evaluations in a trial bed beginning in 2002 in Zeeland, Mich. was assigned the breeder code 00-40-6. The new plant has been asexually propagated by division at the same wholesale nursery in Zeeland, Mich. since 2003 with all resultant asexually propagated plants having retained all the same unique traits as the original plant. Hemerocallis ‘Orange Smoothie’ is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
No plants of Hemerocallis ‘Orange Smoothie’ have been sold, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made prior to the filing of this application with the exception of that which was disclosed within one year of the filing of this application and was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.
There are over 82,000 registered daylilies with The American Hemerocallis Society, which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus Hemerocallis. In comparison to the female parent 95-104-2, the new plant has a mango orange flower color and the female parent has a pinkish-purple with a darker eye flower color. In comparison to the new plant, the male parent has a much deeper golden-orange-colored flower.
The most similar daylily is ‘When My Sweetheart Returns’ (not patented) which has a smaller light yellow flower with broader rose eye around a greenish-yellow throat, and the flower is not as rounded or with the recurved tepal apex of ‘Orange Smoothie’. ‘Candy Peanuts’ (not patented) has similar flowers in base color, but slightly more melon, and without the rose eye and green throat, with narrower outer tepals, less recurving to the apex, less wavy tepal margin and not as round in flower shape as ‘Orange Smoothie’.
Other similar cultivars with dormant foliage and similar flower and plant size differ in that: ‘Amerstone Amethyst Jewel’ (not patented) the flower color is lilac amethyst with a yellow chartreuse green throat and the flower is not as rounded with the recurved tepal apex. ‘Dreamboat Joseph’ (not patented) but the flower color is pale yellow. ‘Ink in the Snow’ (not patented) the flower color is near white with a violet band around a near white throat. ‘Isn't It Romantic’ (not patented) the flowers have lavender rose colored tepals and a thinner wave or ruffle on the margin. ‘Pink Tipped Pleasure’ (not patented) has flowers that are butter cream-colored. ‘Pinkle-purr’ (not patented) has pink-colored flowers and without the heavy wavy tepal margins.
Hemerocallis ‘Orange Smoothie’ differs from all other daylilies known to the applicant, by the combination of the following traits:                1. Winter-hardy, compact habit with clean medium-green foliage that goes dormant in the winter;        2. Fragrant, single, rounded flowers about 10 cm across of orange-mango-colored base with light rose eye, pink midrib and light green throat;        3. Tepals with consistent and considerable wavy margins and recurved around apex giving more color from flower backside;        4. Plants produce concentrated scapes of about 60 cm tall with up to four branches and 32 flowers per scape;        5. Flowering begins about mid-July with excellent coverage and sending new scapes that flower through summer for about seven weeks;        